KIEV — Pirates who hijacked a Greek-operated cargo off Somalia finally let it go because the Ukrainian crew members prevented them from taking over command, the Ukrainian government said on Monday.
The foreign ministry in Kiev said the pirates had given up after failing to take control of the MG Lugela because the 12 crew had locked themselves in the engine room and blocked the helm and other controls.
"In line with a prepared plan, the crew shut themselves in the engine room with sufficient food and water," the ministry said. "Keeping command of the controls, they did not allow the pirates to change course for the Somali coast."
"After two days aboard an uncontrollable ship, the pirates finally gave up and abandoned it."
George Tripakis, managing director of TDM Carrier, the Athens-based operator of the Lugela, said earlier that the captain had contacted the company late Sunday.
"He informed us that everybody is OK, alive, the pirates not on board, and the vessel is proceeding to Bombay (Mumbai, India)."
Pirates attacked the vessel on Saturday some 900 nautical miles off the coast of Somalia, after it left the Gulf of Aden, the Brussels-based the European Union NAVFOR command said.
The ship had left the Egyptian port of Alexandria and was heading to Mauritius carrying steel bars and cable, the owners said. Following its release it was ordered to change course for Mumbai to undergo an examination.
"We would like to check the vessel" in the Indian port, Tripakis said, though he did not know if the ship had been damaged.
Foreign naval powers have deployed dozens of warships since 2008 in a bid to secure the Gulf, a crucial maritime route leading to the Suez Canal through which tens of thousands of merchant vessels transit each year.
But pirates have gradually extended their area of operations, seizing ships as far east as the Maldives' territorial waters and as far south as the Mozambique Canal to hold them to ransom.
International naval missions have boasted success in curbing attacks but the number of hijacked ships and detained seafarers remains at one of its highest levels since Somali piracy surged in 2007, while millions of dollars have been paid by owners to free their vessels.
Copyright © 2010 AFP. All rights reserved. (google.com)
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